Tim McGraw Lost 40 Lbs After His Daughter Told Him He Looked "Big"

From Prevention

In 2008, Tim McGraw had a major wakeup call about his health when his then 11-year-old daughter told him that he looked “big on the screen” in the movie Four Christmases.

“I got out of it for a while,” the country star told Men’s Health about working out. “I was in the prime of my career, and I wasn’t capitalizing on it.” Weighing in at 215 pounds at the time, McGraw realized that it was time to make some changes.

"My family is counting on me," McGraw told Entertainment Tonight. "I want to see my kids grow up, I want to be able to spend time with my grandkids. I want to take them diving and spearfishing, all those things that I want to do with my grandkids."

McGraw, who shares three children with wife, country singer Faith Hill, spent many years living in the Bahamas with his family, where he discovered a passion for spearfishing and diving, two active water sports.

"All the people who work really hard for me and count on me to show up—I wasn't doing that," he told Entertainment Tonight. "And I thought that if I want to have a long career and I want to be in this position for a long time, it's easy to bail out now. And I don't want to bail out."

Minus 40 pounds at 52, McGraw completely transformed his lifestyle to get healthier. Here's exactly how the star lost an impressive amount of weight.

He overhauled his diet.

Touring on the road makes it easy to feel like you're constantly on vacation, between staying in hotels, ordering room service, hitting up fast food joints at pit stops, and partying after shows.

“Ten years ago was when I really was not taking care of myself as well as I should. And my lifestyle wasn’t as good," McGraw told CMT, adding that he was staying up until 3 o’clock in the morning, drinking "an extra beer with the band, eating cheeseburgers, and not hitting the gym in the morning. It was just getting out of control."

Once his daughter told him he looked "big," McGraw decided to give up alcohol, burgers, and truck-stop foods. "'You really need to do something,’" McGraw's oldest daughter told him. "And the next day,” he said, “I was in the gym.”

Working out became his "meditation.

The country star initially started with light walks in the morning, which then progressed into 20-minute runs, and eventually lifting weights.

McGraw began working out on the road and installed gym equipment into his tour trailer. He worked out for 90 minutes with personal trainer Roger Yuan before each concert. “There’s such a feeling of accomplishment that comes from the feeling of being my age and still being at the top of my game,” he told Men's Health. “I don’t really get tired of training.”

He also said upping his fitness has helped him in his career. “I use my whole body to sing—my legs, my butt,” the country star said. “And having more control over those things makes my voice stronger.”

It's not all about the physical changes, though.

For McGraw, the weight that fell off with his new lifestyle was a bonus. "It wasn’t like I was trying to lose 40 pounds, I was just wanting to get healthy," the country star told People. "For me, it is more about feeling good and being where I want to be physically and on stage."

“I’ve gone through a physical transformation in the last 10 years, but it’s not just my appearance that has changed,” he said. “My mind is clearer, my sense of purpose is sharper, and my relationships are deeper. Consistent physical exercise helps me bring focus to my life and to the people who mean the most to me.”

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